REMARKS
Council Member Alexa Aviles Advocates for Shore Power Legislation
0:05:35
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4 min
Council Member Alexa Aviles presents Intro 4, promoting the implementation of shore power at NYC cruise ports. She thanks co-sponsor Council Member Batcher and acknowledges the support from Redhook residents and local organizations who have been advocating for this initiative. Aviles highlights the community's exhaustion from pollution and congestion caused by cruise operations. She emphasizes the need for community partnership in decision-making and the pursuit of health and wellness over the cruise industry's profit margins.
Speaker 2
0:05:35
Thank you, majority leader, Fady, yes, for hearing my bill today.
0:05:39
Intro 4, formerly known as 1050.
0:05:45
I also wanna thank my colleague, council member, Batcher, for his close sponsorship and support of this bill as the only other representative also that directly impacted by having a cruise port in his district.
0:06:01
Last but definitely not least, I'd like to thank all of our Redhook residents particular shout outs to Adam Armstrong, our environmental justice community based organizations, Portside, New York, PS 15 students in PTA, the Redhook Business Alliance, and so many others who have been advocating for this.
0:06:23
For so many, so for so many years.
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I am sure that during our public session, the good people of Redhook, will make you all aware of the many problems surrounding the current cruise operation and the fear and the dread that they currently face as we approach the height of the of this oncoming season.
0:06:44
I wanna honor their voices and allow them to space to speak to these issues.
0:06:48
But I want to make it clear at the outset is that what you are seeing today, however it manifests, is a community that is tired of being dumped on and feels like it's being dumped on and is ready to take collective action from the BQE to the last mile facilities to giant cruise ship operations that pollute our air and congest our streets.
0:07:12
We are tired of bearing the brunt of toxic consumer culture that causes our communities to suffer disproportionately.
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Both mentally and physically.
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Given how concentrated our city is and its small geography, this is a city wide issue.
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To the administration.
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I hope they hear these stories and know that this specific engagement at its best and it is our residents who were behind the installation of the initial electrification in in the Brooklyn terminal.
0:07:48
Our ports are a vital asset not only to our neighborhood, but also to to our city and the region.
0:07:54
While we're talking about the cruise ships in particular, I must underscore that our community is committed to a working waterfront to leaning into climate solutions that must include our coexistence with the law better.
0:08:09
We cannot barrier our way into resilience or an adaptive future.
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Further, we demand to be partners in the solution and decision makings that pertains to our community, not just passive listeners that we must then clean up.
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Because our voices weren't heard at the top.
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The cruise ship industry while rebounded is an incredibly lucrative industry 3.
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And what we are saying here is that the health of all New Yorkers should be the city's first priority.
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It should be dealt with with urgency as we lean in and see the climate catastrophes that are surrounding us on a daily basis.
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And lastly, I will say, the the Redhook community has not seen economic benefit.
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From this or any other cruise deal.
0:09:01
In all of the years that we have been hosting cruises, we have seen a negative benefit.
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And that is traffic, unwieldy, businesses closing because workers can get there, honking, car crashes, only one road in, one road out, no planning.
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This is unacceptable, and our city can do better.
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And I have to say to the EDC team who worked with us, the community residents last year, to mitigate.
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I thank you and recognize that work.
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But we must do better.
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We cannot do this after the fact, and we must be included in decisions.
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A lucrative industry and Redhook gets zero benefit is just simply unacceptable.
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Our health and wellness is the priority of myself and every council member here.
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And so let's partner and protecting our air and our water and make sure that we put people over profit, and we lean into our climate future.
0:10:05
And we ensure that we are doing everything in our power to put New Yorkers first over the profit margins of cruise industries.
0:10:14
So with that, I want to thank the chair again.
Speaker 1
0:10:19
Thank you so much, consignment, fabulous.
0:10:21
I'd now like to allow counsel member Baucher a moment for an opening statement.